A post on the EA website by Lucy Bradshaw has the latest word from the Maxis label general manager to discuss the fairly disastrous launch for SimCity, their online-only urban planning game. She explains what's going on with the game, and promises those who have suffered through its launch will be rewarded with a free game. "And to get us back in your good graces, we’re going to offer you a free PC download game from the EA portfolio. On March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an email telling them how to redeem their free game," she writes. "I know that’s a little contrived – kind of like buying a present for a friend after you did something crummy. But we feel bad about what happened. We’re hoping you won’t stay mad and that we’ll be friends again when SimCity is running at 100 percent." Here's word on the current status of the game:

The server issues which began at launch have improved significantly as we added more capacity. But some people are still experiencing response and stability problems that we’re working fast to address.

So what went wrong? The short answer is: a lot more people logged on than we expected. More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta.

OK, we agree, that was dumb, but we are committed to fixing it. In the last 48 hours we increased server capacity by 120 percent. It’s working – the number of people who have gotten in and built cities has improved dramatically. The number of disrupted experiences has dropped by roughly 80 percent.

So we’re close to fixed, but not quite there. I’m hoping to post another update this weekend to let everyone know that the launch issues are behind us.

A few were actually spotted accidentally still logged into their EA accounts while singing praises to the company and managed to get caught.

It was a true "LOL" moment and a wake up call for everyone who thinks that companies don't do this.

again, can you please point out to me where i've been "singing EA's praises"????

i've said in no uncertain terms that EA fucked up the launch badly, that's a bad thing, it made me sad etc. But that the GAME itself is actually really fun, and once they iron out the connection issues that usually follow the first launch week of an always-online game, then life probably won't be so grim?

but i'm still waiting on my EA shill cheque...

There are two kinds of conservatives, the rich and the stupid, and most of them aren't rich. -Cutter

ASeven wrote on Mar 9, 2013, 14:34:Of all the corporate imbeciles, idiots and apologists in this site Slick has been by far the worst. He registered here in February and has spent all his time either singing praises for EA or saying how negative we are.

Slick deserves to be talked down to since that's the only way to talk to a level he understands.

Damn, I really hate bullshitters like Slick, who gain absolutely nothing in defending corporations that don't give a fuck about them.

do i need to point out how hilarious you sound when you string thoughts together like: "Slick's an idiot, an imbecile" "Slick deserves to be talked down to since that's the only way to talk to a level he understands."

and then qualify that with: "He's spent all his time saying how negative we are."

GEEE. I WONDER WHY?

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

There are two kinds of conservatives, the rich and the stupid, and most of them aren't rich. -Cutter

You don't have a point, you were giving bad advice and I pointed out where you were factually incorrect so that people would correctly understand the potential consequences. I'm not addressing your obvious flamebait because it's not worthy of a response.

That is third hand information from a forum topic from someone who hasn't waited. EA and Origin will ban accounts for chargebacks, it is literally their publicly stated position. It doesn't get any clearer than that. If you don't believe it then go ahead and put your money where your mouth is, buy a $5 game on Origin and charge it back. This isn't rocket science.

i think your'e missing my point. if you hate EA/origin, then why do you care if they ban you? it seems rather two-faced to bitch and whine about a product/service that's evil through and through, and then cry when you no longer have access to this service?

chargebacks are there to protect the consumer, if you're REALLY mad enough that a few days after launch of an always-online game, that they're having server issues... then those are your options. <-- rocket science

There are two kinds of conservatives, the rich and the stupid, and most of them aren't rich. -Cutter

That is third hand information from a forum topic from someone who hasn't waited. EA and Origin will ban accounts for chargebacks, it is literally their publicly stated position. It doesn't get any clearer than that. If you don't believe it then go ahead and put your money where your mouth is, buy a $5 game on Origin and charge it back. Merchants hate chargebacks, they can cost hundreds of dollars per transaction in penalties, fees and employee time. This isn't rocket science.

Slick wrote on Mar 9, 2013, 14:21:yeah and like i said, if you call their support line, and tell them why, then it doesn't result in a ban. they don't ban for 1 chargeback, they ban if you're doing multiple chargebacks, as it costs them money everytime.

This is incorrect and doesn't jive with Origins publicly stated policy on chargebacks. There is a delay when chargebacks are processed before the merchant is notified, people doing them will likely get banned in a week or two. If you have evidence to post that says they will not ban accounts from the source (EA, Maxis or Origin) then do so otherwise be quiet and stop encouraging people to do something that will very likely jeopardize their accounts.

Slick wrote on Mar 9, 2013, 14:21:yeah and like i said, if you call their support line, and tell them why, then it doesn't result in a ban. they don't ban for 1 chargeback, they ban if you're doing multiple chargebacks, as it costs them money everytime.

This is incorrect and doesn't jive with Origins publicly stated policy on chargebacks. There is a delay when chargebacks are processed before the merchant is notified, people doing them will likely get banned in a week or two. If you have evidence to post that says they will not ban accounts from the source (EA, Maxis or Origin) then do so otherwise be quiet and stop encouraging people to do something that will very likely jeopardize their accounts.

Slick wrote on Mar 9, 2013, 14:21:yeah and like i said, if you call their support line, and tell them why, then it doesn't result in a ban. they don't ban for 1 chargeback, they ban if you're doing multiple chargebacks, as it costs them money everytime.

This is incorrect and doesn't jive with Origins publicly stated policy on chargebacks. There is a delay when chargebacks are processed before the merchant is notified, people doing them will likely get banned in a week or two. If you have evidence to post that says they will not ban accounts from the source (EA, Maxis or Origin) then do so otherwise be quiet and stop encouraging people to do something that will very likely jeopardize their accounts.

if you want a refund, do a chargeback, they can't ban your account for 1 chargeback, just call their customr service and tell them why. pleanty of people on their official forums are doing this.

Yes they can and they have said any chargebacks will result in a permanent account ban, the last public text chat with an Origin rep where he asks for a refund even flat out says it.

yeah and like i said, if you call their support line, and tell them why, then it doesn't result in a ban. they don't ban for 1 chargeback, they ban if you're doing multiple chargebacks, as it costs them money everytime.

There are two kinds of conservatives, the rich and the stupid, and most of them aren't rich. -Cutter

if you want a refund, do a chargeback, they can't ban your account for 1 chargeback, just call their customr service and tell them why. pleanty of people on their official forums are doing this.

Who says they can't? This is EA, they not only can, but WILL ban your entire account for WTF ever reason they want. They put all sorts of weird things into their EULA. They've had that they can ban you for not reporting bugs. They've had that they WILL remove games if you don't use your account for a couple years. I'm sure there's other examples, those are only the 2 most memorable for me.

ok i guess i'm lying then, so are the hundreds of people who have confirmed not having their accounts banned on their forums. people just like you who are pissed and want a refund. they get the refund, and it's not good enough? what exactly are you going on about?

There are two kinds of conservatives, the rich and the stupid, and most of them aren't rich. -Cutter